Royal London to transfer £1bn of assets to Ireland over ‘no-deal’ Brexit concerns February 6, 2019 The UK's largest mutual insurer, the Royal London Mutual Insurance Society (RLMI), is to transfer £1bn of its assets to Ireland amid increasing concerns over a no-deal Brexit. A High Court judge yesterday granted RLMI permission to move its business from the European Economic Area (EEA) to a newly formed Irish subsidiary, Royal London Insurance DAC, because of [...]
Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond steps down as chairman of Atlas Mara amid strategic review February 6, 2019 Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond has stepped down as chairman of Atlas Mara as the pan-African financial group launches a strategic review to improve performance. Diamond, the firm’s co-founder, will retreat to the role of non-executive director, further scaling back his involvement. Read more: Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond says banks need to take more [...]
Stereotypes won’t close the gender funding gap February 6, 2019 The latest figures from the British Business Bank on venture capital funding do not make for comfortable reading. Female-led startups get just 1p for every £1 of VC investment, all-male teams receive £5bn of funding per year, and having a single woman on the team correlates with lower investment. “Shocking”, in the words of chief [...]
Activist investor Edward Bramson makes fresh attempt to secure place on Barclays’ board February 5, 2019 Activist investor Edward Bramson has submitted a resolution to be appointed to Barclays’ board of directors at the banks annual general meeting (AGM) in May. Bramson, the chief executive of Sherborne Investors which holds more than five per cent of the bank's shares, has previously called for Barclays to downsize its investment banking division. Read more: Barclays [...]
Weathering the storm: City expects minimal Brexit impact on jobs February 5, 2019 The number of City jobs expected to move overseas in the event of a hard Brexit has fallen to just 2,000 – according to the latest survey of financial institutions. A Reuters study also suggests that investment banks are planning to increase their London headcount. In September, the Reuters survey showed that 5,766 jobs would [...]
Two Barclays employees killed in Italian avalanche February 5, 2019 Barclays confirmed today that two of its employees were killed in an avalanche in the Italian Alps on Sunday. Matt Ziegler, 43, an in-house lawyer at Barclays, and Katherine Clarke, 39, a director in Barclays private bank and overseas service, were among four people killed in the avalanche on Sunday. A spokesperson said in a [...]
Starling Bank courts Irish banking licence as it launches euro accounts February 4, 2019 London digital challenger bank Starling is today kicking off preparations to apply for an Irish banking licence, as it launches support for euro currency accounts this week. Offered to its users based in the UK, the euro account will be available alongside Starling’s existing pound account in order for customers to hold, send and receive euros with [...]
Sajid Javid shoots down speculation of a snap general election in June February 3, 2019 Home secretary Sajid Javid has shot down rumours of a general election in June, saying "the people would never forgive us" if one was called. Speaking to the BBC, Javid said "the last thing" people wanted was a general election. “They want politicians to get on with the job," added. "They have been given a very [...]
Revealed: The 10 fintech startups in Barclays’ 2019 Techstars accelerator February 1, 2019 It's that time of year again: Barclays has unveiled the 10 startups that have made the cut for its annual fintech accelerator programme, powered by venture capital giant Techstars. Now in its sixth year, the 13-week programme puts the young companies through an intensive training course with access to mentorship from Barclays and industry experts, and [...]
Barclays fraud allegations implicate Qatar, says trial judge January 31, 2019 The jury in the trial of four former Barclays executives charged with conspiracy to commit fraud have been told that Qatari entities would be implicated if the prosecution’s case proves correct. Justice Robert Jay warned of the potential repercussions of the case, in which the ex-bank bosses stand accused of making secret payments to Qatar [...]